Fire
by Sellybelly411
Summary: A boy that can turn into a dragon. A girl that holds the key to his heart. (This story is also available on my Wattpad page, username is Sellybelly411). This is a NALU story, enjoy!
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Lucy Heartfilia woke up in a chilly cave, her back aching terribly. She couldn't recall why or how she was here. In fact, she couldn't remember much of anything. A sharp pain shooted in her torso that reminded her that she had been attacked beforehand.

_That's right_, she thought, her mind flashing back to yesterday. The blonde had been walking by herself when a group of thirty-year-old men started bothering her. When she tried to resist, they started getting physical. Meaning, somebody must have cut her when she tried to make her escape from the situation.

A shiver went up her spine as a guest of wind blew through the dark cave, sending her hair flying. Her entire body was extremely sore and there were deep claw marks on her right shoulder. Her head was pounding and although she tried, she could not seem to get up.

"Ow, that stings." She mumbled to herself.

"Yo, are you okay?" A male voice asked, causing the long-haired blonde to look up in curiosity. She screamed at what she saw.

A medium sized red-scaled, fire breathing _dragon. _She backed away in panic, every move she made making her body hurt tremendously. The dragon shook his head, "No, no!" His body began to glow a flaming red and he became smaller, his form shaping into a new one. Until he had become a teenage boy.

"I don't use this form pretty often." He admitted, running to the girl's side, "And I certainly don't bring humans home every day."

"What are you doing? Get away from me!"

"Damn, you're beat up pretty bad. Those guys must have done a number on you, what'd you do?"

"I didn't do _anything!" _She shouted, "Now please, get away from me!"

"Maybe I could call Wendy over here… she could heal you."

"What happened to me? Why am I here? Why did you hurt me like this? I didn't do anything to you!"

"And I didn't do anything to _you! _I found you passed out somewhere around here. Why the hell were those guys attacking you like that?"

"It's nothing of your concern."

"But—"

"Let's just say that I'm pretty popular right now. That's all I wish to say for now."

"I still don't understand why those guys were after y—"

_ "That's all I wish to say for now."_

Taking the hint, the teenager walked a few inches away from the girl, "What's your name?"

"Lucy."

"Lucy… what?"

"Just Lucy." She looked at him out of the corner of her chocolate colored eyes, "I should be asking who _you _are. Better yet, what you are planning to do with me."

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, and I promise I am not planning to hurt you. I was just lookin' out for ya, alright? Look, my friend Wendy'll be here tomorrow and then you can go back home."

_"No!"_ She shouted, tears stinging her eyes.

"You can't be serious. Don't you want to be with her parents? I would kill to see my Father again." His eyes softened when he saw the blonde crying. Her tears angered him for some reason, he hated seeing her hurt. He wasn't sure why, but he did.

"Come on." Natsu said gently, lifting the _clearly _exhausted girl and helping her to the warmest side of the room. She was tired, cold, and afraid. He knew that this small amount of heat wouldn't be warm enough to keep her strength up through the night.

He gathered some wood and created a fire to warm the young girl up. Then, keeping his distance, he transformed back into his dragon form and decided to take a rest himself. Peeking one eye open, he let out a growl before falling asleep himself.

"I'm glad you called me, with this many wounds on her body I'm surprised she's even alive."

"So, she's going to be alright?"

Lucy felt weird. A strange tingling went through her body, her eyes slowly opening, and she screamed at the sight of a little girl, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Wendy, a friend of Natsu's. You don't have to be afraid, just be still so I can heal you." The girl's hands were glowing from her magic power as she concentrated hard on the mission at hand, "Tell me, how did you get this many wounds in the first place?"

"I wouldn't prefer to get into it right now." She mumbled.

"Oh, right! Of course, sorry."

"It's fine. I just..." The blonde admitted, "I suppose now is the time I should be thanking Natsu for saving me. Although frankly, I wouldn't care if you hadn't. If I had died… than this would all be over."

"You speak as if you don't value your own life." Wendy observed.

"That's not it at all. It's just, if it all comes down to it, I would take my own life if it meant that I would never have to be returned to that horrible place." She said through gritted teeth, "In fact, I kind of envy you, Natsu."

His eyes widened at that comment, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nevermind." She managed to raise herself up with the help of the little girl, who looked exhausted. Her healing spell had taken a lot out of her and had canceled her human transformation as well. Wendy was now in her true form, a light blue dragon that wasn't half as scary as Natsu. In fact, she was kind of cute.

"Oops." She said, her voice just a little bit lower than it originally was, "My transformation's off. I'm sorry if I frighten you, Miss Lucy. Natsu told me that you like our human forms better." The dragon peered down at the young girl, causing her to back up, "You should try to get some rest."

"No way." She humphed, turning to the side, "I don't need rest, I need to get the hell outta here!"

"What are you still afraid of us? I already told you-"

"That's not it, you idiots!" She shouted, "I'm freaking pissed! I need to get out of here!"

"Thanks a ton for your help, Wendy." the Fire Dragon said, ignoring the blonde's pleas.

"No problem! I'll come by and check on her in the morning, if that's alright."

"Totally! See ya then!"

When the Sky Dragon flew away, the teenager ran to the blonde's side and sat down right next to her, reaching out to grab her hand before she slapped it away.

"I don't need your sympathy." She spat, "I don't need any of this. I need to _leave."_

"No way!"

"For as long as I can remember I was told that the dragons were extinct." She mumbled softly, "I heard of their evil ways. I know what you can do to me, you only healed me so you can kill me yourself."

"You are _mine, _Lucy." He whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to his chest, "I may be a dragon, but I'm not a monster."

She squealed in surprise, cheeks turning pink at the sudden contact- had he seriously just called her _his? _She wasn't a piece of property or a mangy old mutt! Even so, she was too exhausted to argue. Even though her injuries had healed, her magic power had been drained the other day during her fight with Phantom and she still needed to replenish it. The blonde's eyes drooped closed and she didn't even notice the sudden change in Natsu's appearance. All the sudden she felt warmer and moved closer to the heat source in her sleep.

Halfway through the night Lucy heard something that made her jolt right up out of her slumber. She hit her head on one of Natsu's giant wings, which had been wrapped around her as they slept. It was an echoing in the distance that was just faint enough to hear. She knew who it was. The dark guild that was searching for her.

Gently lifting the wing off of her, she grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, trying to find a way down. No matter _what _Natsu said she couldn't stay here. She didn't believe the dragon's lies and knew that he was definitely going to kill her at one point or another.

_Time to head back._

Lucy knew that Phantom Lord, the Dark Guild that was after her was nearby, so she had to make sure to sneak around without anyone catching her. She spotted Jose, the Master of the Phantom Lord guild roaming the streets, although she knew that it was just a projection. Still, having him spot her was extremely dangerous.

As she peered through the bushes, she noticed the Wanted posters with _her _picture on them hung up throughout the city. Hell, there was even a two million Jewel reward for her capture! Had her Father really gotten _that _desperate?

"What do you think you're doing?" A Male voice said from behind her, making the girl jump in surprise, "I told you you were mine."


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"What do you think you're doing?" A male voice said from behind her, making the girl jump in surprise, "I told you you were mine."

A faint shade of pink appeared on Lucy's cheeks, though disappeared as soon as it came, her expression becoming very serious.

"You can't be here." The blonde said in a stern whisper, "You need to leave."

"Wha—? And here I thought you weren't scared of me anymore. What's up with you, Luce?"

_Luce?_

"It doesn't matter." She said, turning her head away from him to hide another blush, "Just leave. You don't need to worry about me."

"Who said I was worried?" Natsu defended, crossing his arms as he peered down at the girl, "I just came down to take back what's mine, is all."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like."

"You're acting as if I'm some sort of pet! I'm a human being, ya moron."

"And what difference does that make? You're still part of my hoard." He reached down and picked her up, building up fire underneath his feet and using it to project himself into the sky. His human form disappeared, replaced with his true dragon form. He lifted the blonde and placed her on his back, looking at her through the corner of his eye as they flew onward.

"Look guys, there she is!" A young woman said from below, "And what the hell is that? Is she seriously riding a dragon?"

"No matter." Another man said, a creepy smile forming up his face as his magic built up, "Take her out."

Shots of magic power were quickly aimed at the blonde, and she pulled herself up with great caution. Natsu watched the sight in horror, wondering if she had some sort of death wish.

Lucy pulled out a golden key from a leather pouch that rested on her belt, _"Open, gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!" _She shouted, a magic circle appearing above the tip of the key.

A man wearing a horse costume materialized, "How-de-do, My Lady!" He greeted, raising his hand in a salute.

"I'll do it in a jiffy, missy!" He raised his bow and aimed it at the ground, shooting countless arrows at the Phantom Lord mages until the blonde was out of range from the attacks.

"Thanks a lot, Sagittarius!" She said, "Now, why don't you head back to the Spirit Realm."

"Yes-in-deedey! It was an honor serving you, My Lady!" Raising his hand in salute once more, he vanished. Lucy exhaled in relief, and sat back down on Natsu's back, who was staring up at her in awe. He had no idea that she was a mage.

They reached the cave a minute later, and he set her down on the rocky floor. Natsu's form changed once again and he took a seat right beside her, "Are you hurt?" He asked, looking her up and down, "Take off your clothes so I can see."

The only response he got was a hard slap across the face, "Pervert! How could you ask me that? Don't you have any common sense?"

"I could ask you the same thing." The teenager answered, "Runnin' off like that, you could've gotten injured!"

"But I didn't, so just shut up and let it go, would ya?"

"Not until you apologize!"

"Why the hell should I apologize? I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Just go ahead and admit it!"

"Admit what?"

"That you were stupid for running away!" He shouted, "You nearly scared me to death." He said, suddenly sounding calm as he wrapped her in a hug. Lucy was surprised and not quite sure how to respond to the hug, so she just sat limp in his arms. She felt her hair suddenly being lifted, and something being fastened around her neck.

"Here." Natsu said, "Wear this, and I'll never lose you."

Lucy looked down at her neck, gasping at the sight. A red stone with an engravement on it lay perfectly against her skin, tied by a golden string. She lifted the stone up to read it and gasped at the text.

_-Lucy-_

_Property of Natsu Dragneel,_

_The Fire Dragon._

"You're kidding me." The blonde said in an angry tone, "Is this a friggin' _collar? _I told you, I'm not some sort of pet!"

"It'll keep you safe, though." He answered, "It'll burn anyone who dares to touch you. Then, you'll be able to make your way back to me."

"And what if I don't want to find you? What if I want to leave and never come back?"

"Then I'll find you."

She blushed at that comment, and sat up straight, "I am going to leave this place, though." She said, "You can count on that."

Natsu just rolled his eyes and watched her eyes droop closed. He had forgotten it was nighttime, so of course she must've been tired. Lifting his head up, his skin slowly became scales and he quickly grew larger. Gently, he lifted one of his wings and draped it around the girl for comfort. He saw a smile on her face and he quickly curled his body around her.

Lucy woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, like she had just had the best sleep in the world. When she tried to get up, though, her head hit against something heavy and she raised her head to see one of Natsu's large wings.

"Oh, Miss Lucy!" A small voice called from just a few feet away, and the blonde smiled happily when she met the eyes of an energetic bluenette, "Wendy." She greeted, stepping out of the fire dragon's grasp and running over to greet her, "It's good to see you."

"You too, Lucy! I came to check up on you this morning, I hope you don't mind." The small girl asked shyly, shuffling her feet, "I hope you're doing well. Are you feeling better?"

"Great, actually. You're a lifesaver, Wen—"

"What's that?" The young girl asked, her eyes locked on the stone hanging on the older girl's neck.

"Oh, this?" She said, raising it up for the sky dragon to see, "Natsu gave this to me yesterday. Kind of annoying, really. I'm not a dog, I don't need a collar."

"Oh, wow." She gasped, "I can't believe he would do that so quickly. You must be very important to him." Noticing the look of confusion on Lucy's face, she decided to explain it further, "That stone around your neck is actually one of his scales he has merged with a rock. It's a mark that shows that not any of the other dragons or humans can take you. It proves you're his prized property. It's never been used on a human before, so I'm just surprised is all. You barely know each other and yet he's already given you one." Looking up, she tilted her head in confusion when she saw how red the blonde's face has gotten, "Lucy? Are you alright?"

"Y- Yeah." She muttered, "Just peachy."

Wendy suddenly turned her attention to Natsu, who was just now waking up. A bright smile appeared on her face, "Good morning, Natsu!"

"Oh, hey there kid." He mumbled, "What're you doing here?"

"I came to check up on Lucy, if you don't mind." She said, "Though I certainly wasn't expecting to see the mark on her. Does this mean I won't be able to heal her in case she gets injured again?"

"Nah, don't worry 'bout that. You're healing magic will work just fine, you just can't touch her." His attention turned to the blonde, who was facing the other end of the cave trying to hide her red face, "What's up with you, Luce? You alright?"

"Y- Yeah, I'm fine…" She reassured, even though she was feeling anything _but._

_Important to Natsu? Please. _She scoffed, absentmindedly twirling the chain of her collar around her finger.

She felt something touching her skin and looked down when she noticed that Natsu's arm was wrapped around her shoulder. She raised her head and stared into his onyx eyes, trying to fight a smile. Somehow… his embrace seemed so comforting to her and managed to wipe all her fears and worries away. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as he pulled her closer to his side, his eyes suddenly softening into a look of worry, "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"What?"

"Lucy… are you scared of me? I understand if you are, I mean, I basically kidnapped you and forced you here."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she let out a light giggle. He stared down at her as she laughed, not quite sure what to think.

"Scared of _you?" _She laughed, "Why in the world would I be afraid of you, Natsu? I- I mean, I was at first." She admitted, watching as he turned his face away, "But it's not every day you meet a dragon, y'know?" The blonde laughed again, "After everything you've done for me, why would I ever be scared of you?"

A smile crawled up the pink-haired teenager's face, "Well, that's good to hear." A thought crossed his mind and he pushed the blonde away from him, "Wait, if you weren't afraid of me then why the hell are you so set on leaving?"

"It's nothing personal." She shrugged, "I'm just going through some stuff now, alright? I guess I thought that if I continued to stay here than I would only bring trouble to you guys."

"Seriously?" Natsu shouted, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Bringing trouble to us? Please."

"So… you don't believe me?" The blonde said sadly, tears welling up in her eyes, "It's just as much."

"What? That's not what I meant at all." He reassured, "I know those people were looking for you and there's no way I'm letting them take you away from me. If they come knocking, we'll take them down. Nobody's taking what's mine without a fight." He said sternly.

"Oh, Natsu." Lucy said, tears streaming down her face as chocolate met onyx. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his chest and hugging him tightly. The pink-haired teenager was surprised at first and wasn't sure how to respond. He looked down and saw her lightly nuzzling his chest and gave in, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Do I…" She mumbled, looking up at him through blurred vision, "Wendy told me… what this means." She said, lifting the stone up for him to see, "I guess I thought you really did think of me as a pet… but now I understand." She mumbled, "You really are trying to protect me, huh?"

He ruffled the girl's hair and smiled at her, "Of course I am."

"Um… uh…." Wendy piped up suddenly, her face growing red as she watched the scene in front of her, "I don't think I should be watching this…"

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" The fire dragon asked, his arm around Lucy's shoulder once again, who looked just as confused as he did.

"We-well… you two were having a moment."

The blonde's eyes went wide in shock and her face flushed red, "It's not what it looks like, I swear!" She defended. Natsu just tilted his head to the side, wondering what the two were going on about. He was just as clueless as ever.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Lucy frowned as she sat on top of a rock, hair swaying in the wind as she looked down below. She smiled as she saw a red dragon flying away in the distance, searching for a good meal for the girl. He was used to eating fire, so he didn't think much about humans' eating habits. Wendy was sitting beside the blonde, leaning against her shoulder as they both looked up at the sky.

The older girl never liked the idea of returning to the ground, still living in fear of the possibility that she would get caught and forced back to that evil place. Her vision blurred up as she thought of all the bad memories there, wondering how such a happy life could turn so frightening so quickly. She noticed that Natsu seemed to admire his Father a lot, as he talked about him all the time.

_If only I was so lucky, to have memories like that._

"Miss Lucy?" A shy voice piped up, a soft hand suddenly resting on hers, breaking the blonde out of her trance. She smiled down at Wendy, who was staring up at her with the upmost concern.

"Yeah?"

"You were crying again."

_Again. _The older girl thought to herself, wiping a single tear away. She couldn't count how many tears she had shed in her life. It was way too many at such a young age. Instead, she forced a smile, "Was I?"

"Yeah." The bluenette confirmed, "This is the second or third time I've seen you cry. What makes you so sad all the time?"

"Oh, nothing." The blonde said, waving it off. Wendy didn't buy it, though, and the older girl was completely aware of this. Was it the sky dragon's senses that could tell, or was Lucy just a horrible liar?

"Lucy…"

"Oh, look, it's Natsu!" She interrupted, raising her arm and waving at him with the brightest smile on her face. He landed behind them, transforming back into a teenager and making his way over to them with meat in his hands, "This good?"

The blonde nodded, tears still stinging her eyes as she looked up at him, "You bet!"

"Lucy…" He mumbled, taking a seat in front of her and staring angrily at her. She winced and leaned back a bit, both confused and uncomfortable with the situation. He suddenly cupped her face in his warm hands, forcing it closer to him as he stared into her chocolate brown orbs.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, a light blush appearing on her cheeks, trying to loosen from his grasp.

He only moved her face closer to his, until their lips were almost touching, "Hey, you're gettin' kinda close…"

"Who did this." The fire dragon said angrily, "Who made you cry, Lucy?" He asked in pure anger, wiping some of her tears away while growling in agony, "They'll pay."

"O- Oh…" She mumbled, "You don't need to worry about me."

"_Who made you cry?" _He shouted, shocking her.

"I- I told you… there's no need…"

"Lucy!" Natsu bellowed, taking hold of her shoulders and frowning at her, "Just tell me already!"

"_Lucy! You little pest, how dare you barge in without asking me first! What did I tell you about coming in here unannounced?" Jude Heartfilia shouted at his five-year-old daughter, who was shaking in her boots._

"_B- B- But Daddy…"_

"No_ buts! You ridiculous girl, can't you answer one simple question? Tell me now!" He ordered, "What are the rules?"_

"_T- To n-n-not to…"_

"_Exactly, so be quiet for once and get out of my sight! Why can't you be more like your Mother and learn your manners? It's your own fault that she's dead, you know! You stupid girl, go study your business classes and don't come back unless you are called!"_

"_B- B- B—"_

"_**WHAT DID I SAY?"**_

_The young girl yelped in fear, running out of her Father's office and to her bedroom._

"I- I- I'm sorry." Lucy apologized, "Pl- Please forgive me." She begged, getting down on her knees and _bowing _to the teenager, "Pl- Please… I'm begging you… I didn't mean to." The blonde said through a waterfall of tears.

Natsu and Wendy exchanged glances and looked at the girl in complete shock. The fire dragon took hold of her hand and tilted her chin up, "Luce, calm down. Everything's alright, I'm here." He reassured, offering a kind smile her way.

"Natsu…"

He wrapped her in a hug, one that was quickly returned by the blonde. He felt tears landing on his shoulders, though knew that now was not the time to interrogate her about this. She pawed her tears away and offered a kind smile, "I'm sorry."

"Hey, why are you apologizing?" He inquired, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"It's just…" She reached behind her neck and tried to find a way to take her collar off, but he quickly stopped her.

"It's just…" She continued, "I don't understand why you gave me this." She confessed, "I care for you and Wendy so much. You've been the first friends I've had in a long time."

"You don't have any friends?" The bluenette inquired, sounding shocked, "But you're so nice. How can a girl like you not have any friends?"

Realizing what she had just said, the Celestial Mage just faked a smile and waved the question off, "Nevermind. Say, I'm hungry, why don't we eat some of that yummy looking meat Natsu got?"

Wendy and Natsu shared another glance, but decided it was best not to push her any longer. The boy started a fire, and roasted the meat on it, handing it to Lucy as soon as it was finished. They all sat and ate their meal in silence, that is, until Lucy broke it.

"Natsu." She whispered, "What do you think would happen… if those people found me up here?"

"You know I would never let that happen."

"But if it did?"

"It would probably start another war." Wendy answered, "The humans wiped a bunch of us out and now there's only seven of us left."

"You could die…?" She sniffled, "See, Natsu? _That's it, _I'm heading back." She pulled herself up and gathered her things, lifting one of her golden keys to call a spirit when Natsu stopped her.

She looked up at the pink-haired boy in shock, "What?"

"Why do you have to be so _stupid _all the time?"

"Me? How am I being stupid?"

"No matter how many times I tell you that you're safe, why do you always try to leave me?" He shouted, "Get it through your thick skull, Lucy. You're staying with me forever, or does the scale I gave you mean nothing to you?"

"Natsu…"

"Just sit, stay, and eat your food."

"I told you, I'm not an animal!"

"Just do as I tell you to do!"

"And what if I don't?"

"Then you'll regret it!"

"How so?"

"Now, now you two, there's no reason to start a fight." Wendy said, "Now why don't you two shake hands and make up?"

"Like hell I will!"

"Exactly what she said!"

"Um… umm…" The brunette said uncomfortably, not liking being caught in the middle of another argument.

"Just sit down and eat your food!" Natsu shouted, earning a eye roll from the blonde as she reluctantly walked over to the fire and ate her food, turning her face away from everyone else.

She glanced down at the collar on her neck, despising it. All she wanted was to leave, and this time it wasn't to protect him. She would turn herself in, Father would have the collar destroyed and everything would go back to normal.

_Normal. _She thought to herself, an image of her angry Father filling her mind, making a shiver go up her spine.

_Yes, everything's going back to normal…_

She let out a raging growl that rivaled one of Natsu's and pulled at the clasp of her collar, which refused to come off.

"Natsu? I think you made her mad." Wendy pointed out. He just humphed and turned away, not even caring as he saw her yanking at the clasp, trying to get if off. He knew she wouldn't be able too, though. Only the dragon who crafted it could.

_Father, I'm coming. _Lucy thought to herself, _I'll turn myself in this time. I don't care what that moron thinks. I'll leave. I'll stop all this. I'll return… home. _Even in her mind, the word home felt meaningless when referring to her mansion. She was raised there, and for only seven years did it ever feel like home. Then when her Mother passed away, the once warm and loving mansion turned cold and lonely. Her father neglected her, pushed her away, and she ended up being raised by the servants and even her Celestial Spirits.

Though she couldn't help but wonder why exactly her Father had decided that he needed her back. She had been gone for a year and he hadn't cared, so what was so important that she could do and he couldn't? Feet crossed, she thought back to the day Natsu had saved her from the men that had been attacking her.

"_Come here, dearie!" A wizard shouted, waving a lit torch in front of her face, "Everyone's lookin' for ya." He was clearly drunk, but that didn't stop him from failing the task at hand._

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yes, Ms. Lucy Heartfilia." A short scruffy looking man from behind the taller one answered, "You have a very large bounty on your head." _

_Lucy internally rolled her eyes, knowing that her Father had no intention of paying them. It was just a trap to get his "beloved daughter" back home quicker. He was such an awful man._

"_So why don't you come with me, Princess?" The torch-holding one asked, offering her his hand. She took one look at it and grimaced, then turned to run away. The group of men started attacking her, accidentally shredding some parts of her clothes and dragging sharp knives across her legs to make it harder for her to run away. Magic was shot at her, causing her to blast backwards and hit her head against a rock._

_Her head throbbed, her vision blurry, she put two and two together and saw them coming over with rope and bolted. She was extremely wobbly, her body battered and beaten from all the attacks that had and were still coming her way. She knew she couldn't go on for much longer, but she had to. _

_They were getting close… so close… _

_With nowhere left to run, she was cornered against a tree. They were about to be here, the leader still shooting at her feet to slow her down, even though he knew she wouldn't be running anytime soon. She could feel the rope scratching against her wrists as a man started tying it up._

_But then there was a flash of red and the rope suddenly fell._

_Lucy thought she saw flames blasting the enemies back but knew that couldn't be possible. She didn't have any fire powers and it's not like any of the Phantom morons would attack their own group._

_She felt something sharp scratch her skin and looked at the talons digging into her shoulder. No. Had someone from Phantom survived? Had he used transformation magic to take her?_

_She couldn't see much anymore. She could feel everything though because all of it hurt. She wanted to but she couldn't stay awake anymore._

_Then everything went black._

Lucy shook at the memory out of her mind and laid down and curled herself up into a ball. The rocks hurt her back, they had for a while now, but she would never admit that. Maybe Natsu was right. Going back wouldn't solve anything, it would just be her running away.

_But I've already run away, so how is leaving here any different?_

Lucy's eyes softened as she tried to hold back the tears in her eyes, _"Crying is unladylike. You should never express such a pathetic way of emotion." _Her Father would say, _"You are a weak, weak child. You will never grow into a strong woman like Layla. You are not worthy of your status. You will be the servants' problem from now on."_

The blonde's eyes were shut and her whole body shook as the memories from before flooded her mind. The difference between running away from the mansion and running away from the cave was obvious.

Because it was here she felt most at home.

**A/N: **Wow! This took me a long time to write. Writer's block sucks to the max, y'all. I won't be leaving this story hanging, I promise. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and please remember to favorite, follow, and review!

Also, my friends and I have started a Fairy Tail group chat on Discord. If you are interested, please message me here for more information. I'll make sure to send you my username and link.

Love,

Sellybelly411


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Natsu could sense Lucy's discomfort. His anger softened into concern as he watched her, crumpled up into a tiny ball on the ground. He could feel Wendy staring at him, edging him on to go talk to her. He raised himself up and walked over and took a seat down next to her.

"Hey, I'm sorry alright?" He apologized, "I never meant to hurt you."

She looked up at him, her body pale, "It's nothing…" She whispered, gently pulling herself up while hugging her knees to her chest.

He sat down next to her, "Hey…" He began, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling the girl against his shoulder, "Hey, hey, hey, calm down. You can stop crying now, I'm sorry Luce."

"No." She sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes, "It's not you…" She said, "Well, it kind of is."

"Huh?"

"Well, for starters, you're so stubborn you won't let me save your life!"

"What are you talking about?"

"There are very skilled wizards out there trying to catch me for ransom, and if they found out that I was here with you, then you could be hurt in the process." She stated, "That's why I-"

"Hold up." He commanded, "Why are people hunting you down for cash? What are you worth for?"

She looked up at him, feeling slightly hurt by his wrong choice of words. She simply cleared her throat and sighed, "The truth is, I'm actually a debutante." She admitted, "I come from a really wealthy family, where my Father usually spends most of his time in the estate."

There was a pause between the two and for a second Lucy thought Natsu didn't hear her. That would be ridiculous, of course, because it had been proven many times that he had amazing hearing.

She was about to repeat the question, when he started laughing his stupid ass off.

_"You?" _He shouted, "A fancy little rich girl? You really expect me to believe that?"

"It's the tru—"

"Oh, _please. _You're lying to me, now tell me the _truth." _He commanded, "Why were you being chased by those guys?"

"I already told you why!"

"Quit playing along with that dumb lie, we all know that it's not true."

"For your information—" She began, "You are the _only person _I have ever told this to, so quit laughing at me because I'm telling the truth!"

He chuckled again, and that was when Lucy's tears turned into sobs. She stood up and got intensely close to him, making the dragon blush. She raised her hand and struck him across the face, "You stupid, moronic, ridiculous, doofus, damn idiot, clueless, annoyi—"

He felt the side of his face, which was now hurting from the impact. His entire body caught on fire and he glared at her, "Lucy, how dare you! Don't you know what I am?"

The blond flinched but held her own. She wouldn't let Natsu's flames get to her, she refused to show her fear.

"I know perfectly well what you are! Now, if you think you can scare me you are dead wrong!"

"Why would you ever lie to me, you stupid girl!" He shouted, causing Lucy to freeze up.

_"Lucy, where have you been? You were supposed to make an appearance at the gala this evening. Why would you avoid such an event? I was about to show off my most prized possession!" _

_ 8-year-old Lucy stared up at her Father, a smile forming on her face. Did he finally come to love her? Had he really just called her his most prized possession?_

_ "Father, I'm sorry. It seems I have gotten a cold, and I did not want to get our guests sick. I am honored though, that you think so highly of me. Knowing that I am your most prized possession—"_

_ "What are you blabbering on about? I was showing off a vase that was worth over thirty million jewel. You were supposed to be there to wave hello to all the guests as they entered. Now, once again, why do you avoid such an important event?"_

_ "Father, I already told you that I have gotten sick."_

_ "Stop these lies! After everything I've done for you, why would you ever lie to me, you stupid girl!"_

_ "But Father, I'm not-"_

_ "Shut your Mouth! You shall be punished for this, you lazy child. This is why I wanted a boy, not a useless, disobedient girl like you!" He raised his hand and struck her across the face repeatedly._

_ By the time he had left, Lucy's cheeks were covered in bruises. She cried herself to sleep that night, under the care of Ms. Spetto, who stayed with her until morning came. _

Lucy's foot slipped on the edge of the cliff as she stared fearfully at the raging dragon boy standing before her, his body aflame.

The ground crumbled below her, and she began to fall. She closed her eyes and smiled, looking strangely peaceful. Soon, the impact would come, and she would be no more. The world would be better without her, and all the people she cared about would be safe.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted, returning to his dragon form and diving down to catch her. He was so focused on saving her that he didn't even notice the obstacles in front of him, groaning when he hit his head against something hard that made his head spin.

There was a bright, golden glow ahead of him that came from Lucy herself. His vision was blurry, but he thought he saw a woman, not a dragon, catch her. His eyes slowly closed, though somehow he managed to flap his wings so he landed back on the cliff before he passed out.

"What do you think you're doing?" Aquarius shouted at the blond, who opened her eyes at the sound of her first friend's voice. She was more than shocked when she saw tears in the mermaid's eyes.

"Aquarius…" Lucy mumbled, "You opened your own gate."

"Yeah, so what?" She shouted, setting her on the ground and refusing to let the girl go, wondering how she was being so calm about this. The blond had barely escaped death, and yet she was acting like this was nothing.

"I thought you hated me."

"You think that matters right now? You almost got yourself killed, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I didn't jump." Lucy said, "The ground broke from under me. I wasn't scared, Aquarius."

"What, because you were stupid enough to think that one of us would catch you? You can't count on that every time you know."

"I know. I guess I was just ready to die."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while, how the world would be better without me. I almost got murdered a couple minutes ago. That's not the way I want to die, though. I want to pass on my own terms."

"No... " The mermaid mumbled, her tears intensifying, _"No! _You're never leaving m—all of us behind, okay? Seriously, what kind of idiot are you?"

"I'm sorry…"

"You better be. Because if you ever try to die again, I'll kill you."

Lucy chuckled, "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

"Now, who's this asshole who tried to murder you?" Aquarius asked, a sudden raging fire in her eyes, "I'm gonna kill him."

"Up that cliff, but—"

_**"UUUGGGGGHHHHHH!" **_She shouted, already flying up the hill holding Lucy in her arms. Her eyes stared down at the dragon, _**"IT WAS YOU!" **_She shouted, _**"YOU ALMOST KILLED MY WIZARD! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU SCALY BEAST? I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"**_

**A/N: **Well, here I am, finally back from hiatus! I wasn't sure what to do with this chapter, but I still hope that you like it. Thank y'all and I hope you enjoy! Oh, and stay tuned for another chapter of _Mate of Fate!_

Love,

Sellybelly411


End file.
